THOOTHUKUDI: Farmers dependent on the Korampallam tank located near Thoothukudi town alleged silt and karambai (fertile silt) removed from it were not being supplied to farmers, but they were being sold by dredgers to realtors at a huge price.
Farmers say the district administration has permitted the removal of silt deposits from the tank so as to increase its storage capacity. The government has permitted farmers to take them freely as silt and karambai sands are good for agriculture.
A banana farmer, M Rathnapandi of Vadaku Kalangarai village, said that he had applied for taking karambai sand to fill up his agricultural land two months ago.
“Water from the Korampallam tank seeps into my low-lying land, which is close to the tank, thus spoiling crops as it cannot be drained. However, the operators don’t give the sand. They charge more than `1,000 per load, and I can not afford it,” he said. “Those who excavate the silt sell it to the realtors,” he claimed.
Excavators supply the sand to fill up private lands in Athimarapatti, Sirupadu, and Nallamalai. The karambai sand is dumped on private lands by real estate developers for securing layout approval, said sources.
A senior Mines and Geology department official told TNIE that the Korampallam tank has been notified for removing silt after the tahsildar gave permission.
However, the district administration did not give permission under the G.O 50 which allows taking karambai sand for agricultural purposes. A private contractor who took up the dredging contract supply the silt to realtors, he said.
The Korampallam tank of the aegis of the Water Resources Department (WRD) is one of the largest tanks in the Thamirabarani river basin. It is also the last tank to be fed by the north channel that branches off from the Srivaikuntam anaicut across the Thamirabarani River. It is also fed by other inflow channels including Uppar odai that fetches water from the Kayathar and Ottapidaram regions.
The storage capacity of the tank has drastically reduced with the accumulation of silt after repeated floods. The tank extends to over 3,000 acres.